Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 468: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the position on the reform of charities law and the Charities Act which is now over 40 years old. [23344/04]

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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An Agreed Programme for Government contains a commitment to reform charities law. Responsibility for delivery on that commitment was assigned to my Department.

I launched a public consultation in February of this year. The reference document for the public consultation was a Government-approved consultation paper on establishing a modern statutory framework for charities.

The 85 submissions which were received in response to the public consultation comprised an overall broad endorsement of the proposals contained in the consultation paper. This positive reaction, in confirming how the way forward should be charted, will inform the development of the draft legislation.

An external report on the public consultation was published on 27 September 2004. It can be accessed on my Department's charities regulation webpage at http://www.pobail.ie/en/CharitiesRegulation/.